Gift exchanges are common social activities that currently take place around a holiday season or in connection with certain events. Gift exchanges may be simple or complex in nature, and typically occur among a designated group of people, each of whom buys a gift for another person in the group and also receives a gift in return. For example, in a gift exchange among members of a family, each family member may be assigned to purchase a gift for another family member, such as by drawing names out of a hat, and may also receive a gift from another family member in return. Some more complex gift exchanges include a “Secret Santa,” in which each participant purchases a gift for a randomly assigned recipient but the recipient is not told the identity of the participant who purchased the gift, or a “Yankee Swap,” in which each member of a group purchases a single gift, and the members of the group choose between opening an unopened gift or taking an opened gift away from another, unwitting member of the group.
In addition to holiday situations, gift exchanges may be organized and conducted for any reason. For example, a group containing members who share a common interest, such as fans of a particular movie or sports team, may wish to hold a gift exchange in which participants buy and receive gifts pertaining to the commonality among them. Additionally, gift exchanges may be centered around a theme, such as a particular holiday or annual event.
Gift exchanges can increase the levels of fun and excitement that are normally associated with conventional gift-giving situations. While gift exchanges are enjoyable, however, existing systems and methods for conducting gift exchanges typically have severe limitations, in that they usually require each of the participants to be located within the same premises in order to give or receive their gifts. Alternatively, participants who are separated by great distances generally must communicate with the other participants by telephone or E-mail, and each of the participants must make arrangements to deliver their gifts. Furthermore, the scope of individuals who may participate in a gift exchange is presently limited to known members of groups, for example, members of a family or fan club, or residents in an apartment building.